Alternate Endings
by nananana hey jude
Summary: What if Katniss Everdeen had died in the arena? What if the rebellion had never happened? What if a coward had risen up to win the 74th Hunger Games? Rated T for character death and violence.
1. Prologue

Every time, every single time it happens, Brimet prays she wouldn't be picked.  
>There's no real reason for it. Her family aren't having a hard time finding food. If anything they're pretty well off.<p>

It is pure, unadulterated fear that's holding her back. She doesn't want to fight... or worse, die. The thought of being cornered by a large group of scary-looking teenagers with large, dangerous weapons makes her heart race.

Unfortunately, this isn't the time to be panicking about dying. She's standing in a large crowd with all the other teenagers that live in her home, District 4, staring determinedly down at her shoes, as if they'll be able to save her from being chosen to fight. There's always a chance somebody else could be picked this time... and yet that same thought runs through her mind over and over again.  
><em>It could be you this time. It could be you this time.<em>

The man up on the stage, a green-haired, all-too-cheerful representative from the Capitol, reaches his hand into the first glass ball. The crowd draws a collective breath.  
>The representative unrolls the scrap of paper, draws a breath, and reads out the name scribbled onto it. "Skyreen Kitlock!"<br>The crowd erupts with collective cheers and screams, as the young man is escorted begrudgingly through the barriers and nearly shoved onto the stage. He looks slightly bewildered, eyes flickering through the crowd.  
>The girl standing beside Brimet has collapsed into a pile of tears. She is being supported by an older woman who is in tears herself, and above the crowd's yells of encouragement and horror there is a long, loud resounding scream that sums up the heartbreak and fear of the Games.<p>

When the commotion has died down, and the girl carried off to recover, the representative reaches into the other glass ball. Brimet's heart starts thumping, her fists tighten at her sides and she closes her eyes.

She hears the scratching of the paper as it is unfolded, the pause as the man on the stage takes in the name of the next contender. In the silence, the sound of waves breaking could be heard. Instead of listening to some poor soul being called to their impending doom, she focuses on listening to the water as it washes over the shores she knows so well. Her fists unclench, her heart slows and for one single moment, she relaxes.

This moment of tranquility is ruined in a split second when she is grabbed by her shoulders and steered towards the stage. She trips slightly, not fully taking in what's happening around her, and before she knows it she's standing on the giant platform surrounded by aquatic decorations and dusted lightly with sand. Her head turns quickly towards the crowds and, just as the boy before her did, scans through the population of District 4. Some of her friends from school are crying with shock, and possibly relief, that it's not them this time. Her father is watching her with wide eyes, clutching his wife, her mother, to his chest. Her shoulders are shaking and her face is hidden in his shoulder. Brimet feels a sharp pain shoot through her stomach, as she realizes that the reason her mother is crying is that she has been chosen.

As the man tells them to shake hands, she is turned to face her opponent. Skyreen. A tall, dark-haired gangly lad with big hazel eyes. She mentally compares her own looks (brown eyes, short red hair, small with long legs) with his, and determines he will be the one to come out of this alive.  
>Before they can wish each other good luck, they are herded backstage to get ready to go to the Capitol. Brimet chokes back tears as she stumbles ungracefully onto the platform of the train. Everything's moving too quickly. She can't die just yet.<p>

But it's too late.

As of now, the 74th Hunger Games have begun.


	2. A Reflection, then the Games Begin

It's odd how the mind wanders when you're in danger.

For example, Brimet finds herself standing on a flat, dirty plain, joined in a ring by twenty-one other tributes, all raring to jump into the survival game, to start the bloodshed, to fight for their lives, but still sticking to the rules, one being if you were overeager to get a headstart, you would have your legs blown off before you could register the shock on the others' faces.  
>All except Brimet. Right now she's pondering over the past week, trying to get the small details in before her imminent death.<p>

It was, in all, an odd week. She wasn't used to the constant exertion she had to go through to prepare herself for the Games. The training was tough, her opponents were just as scary as she had imagined and she had only managed to score a seven in front of the Gamemakers.

One detail she did enjoy, however, was the opening ceremony. To others, it might've been a forewarning of the danger that was about to unfold, a chance to see their opponents in their full glory. To Brimet, it was a chance to look pretty.  
>Her stylists weren't sure what to do with the poor girl at first. They had examined every inch of her body - to her horror - and talked over each other jovially as they painted her face and took her measurements. The chatter soon gave way to squeals of adoration when the stylists revealed Brimet in front of the mirror - and her mentor, Aries - as a mermaid.<br>Well, that's what it had seemed like. She was wearing a floor-length gown with shimmering blue sequins, a necklace made of pearls and dangly pearl earrings. According to her main stylist, they had decided to keep her freckles visible (though her cheekbones and eyelids had been dusted in powder blue), as they thought it gave her an 'air of innocence'. Her shaggy red hair had been carefully straightened and swept out of her eyes, though Brimet was alarmed to find a bright purple streak trailing round her fringe. Her stylist had reassured her that it was just an extention as she reached up and stroked it.  
>Skyreen, her fellow District 4 tribute who she had befriended through the training and the Careers, was draped in what looked like an aquamarine kaftan with darker, silken trousers and gladiator sandals. When they stood together, they looked like two strange creatures from the deep, an image that was emphasized by the tails of Skyreen's kaftan and Brimet's dress. They had waved to the crowds around them, Brimet getting a little too into it and blowing kisses to random strangers. Skyreen had chuckled, though was soon quitened when a rose flew from the mass of people and hit him square in the face. Brimet's laughter had reached the District 3 tributes in front of them, provoking them to turn and glare. She didn't mind, though.<p>

The interviews were a whole other story. Dressed in a blue and white smock dress that made the colours merge when she moved, she had stood up, made her way to the interviewer - a powder blue man called Caesar Flickerman - looked into the crowd and promptly turned into a quivering wreck. The audience had cooed in sympathy and started shouting out encouragements. Caesar made a joke about their matching colours and put her at ease by asking her about her greatest strength. The prepared answer she had spent hours working on left her in an instant, and she replied instantly.  
>"I've been a fisher since I was three, so I know how to stay silent and use a harpoon." She had rubbed the back of her neck and added, "I would make a comparison to fish in a barrel, but, y'know..."<br>The audience, thank God, had laughed, and Brimet felt a flush of pride race up to her face. For the next two minutes, it had been a piece of cake. She and Flickerman had bounced off each other, he had got her to show off her dress to the audience and she chatted about how much she admired her stylists and even Skyreen, to which she had recieved wolf whistles and raised eyebrows from Flickerman. When the cameras turned to Skyreen, he had grinned, given them a thumbs up and winked to Brimet. She had rolled her eyes and muttered "Men, huh?" which got another laugh.

It was all going so well, and then Flickerman asked her about her family. The smile had faded and her arms rose, protectively gripping her elbows.  
>"I've only got my mom and dad, really," she replied. "No siblings."<br>"Do you miss them?" Flickerman asked her, sensing her sadness and stepping a bit closer to provide comfort if necessary.  
>"Well, yes, I do. We're pretty close, the three of us, and it's weird not having them here for help." She raised her eyes from where she had been staring at the stage floor and looked out into the crowd. "When I'm trying to get to sleep sometimes I think about how they're doing without me. I know it's only been, like, less than a week, but a week's a long time."<p>

Her mind flashed back to the reaping, to seeing her mother folded into her father's arms, his eyes never leaving the stage, how helpless they looked from where she was standing.  
>To her horror, she felt her lip begin to wobble uncontrollably and tears begin to spill, most unladylike, onto her face. She had taken a deep breath, and in a small, shaky voice,finished with "I probably won't win this, so I want them to know I miss them and lo..." The word hadn't been able to come out, and an unusually loud sob had taken its place. The audience had applauded then, the buzzer ringing loud above the sound. Flickerman had whipped out a handkerchief from seemingly nowhere, helped her down the steps and made his way back to the stage. She had spent the rest of the interviews with her face in her hands, ignoring everything. Skyreen's hand on the back of her neck, the rest of the interviews, even the boy from District 12 confessing his love for his partner...<p>

Brimet finds herself back in the arena. She glances around, not knowing how much longer she has, but catching sight of the District 12 girl. The girl on fire. The one who had surprised the crowds, who had scored an eleven in front of the Gamemakers, the one who had sat alone at mealtimes, not saying a word to anyone.  
>At first, Brimet had tried to make an effort to at least talk to the girl, but was quickly put down by Cato and Glimmer, calling her a 'scruffy miner' amongst other things. From then on she had just given her a quick grin every now and then, and hoped that would be enough.<br>Her glance moves to her partner. She thinks his name is Peeta, or something like that. She has to admit, he is definitely a sight for sore eyes.  
>Brimet then looks back to Skyreen, who is poised, ready to run. He turns his head quickly, pokes his tongue out at her and then turns back. Typical. Even in the face of danger, wily Skyreen is as michevious as ever.<p>

The gong sounds.

Brimet doesn't feel herself pushing off, but she _can_ feel her feet pounding the ground, and she swoops down to pick up a loaf of bread and a spear, just what she needs. Skyreen is right beside her, his long legs striding and kicking up dust as he goes.  
>Brimet, somehow, doesn't notice him disappearing from her view, and keeps making her way towards the Cornucopia. Cato catches up and outruns her, managing to make it there. He scoops up a tent pack, a large green rucksack and a couple of knives. Brimet darts forward - narrowly dodging an arrow - and finds some medicine and rope. Someone tries to wrestle it from her and she jams the point of the harpoon into their stomach. They fall instantly, leaving her to pick up what she can and run. Glimmer is beckoning to her, and she sprints through the tributes, barging into whoever is in her way, and the two girls manage to make their way to the woods. They keep running for as long as they can, weaving through the trees and launching themselves from ledges, anything to try and get as far away from the Cornucopia as possible.<br>They find a clearing and stop. While Glimmer leans on a tree, surveying the clearing, Brimet collapses into a sitting position with an incomprehensible groan. She imagines the audience chuckling at this, the poor girl being used as comic relief.  
>When Glimmer has caught her breath, she starts trailing the circumference of where they are, throwing stray branches into the trees and occasionally stopping to glare into the depths of the woods.<br>The District 1 girl turns to her companion, and upon seeing her furrowed brow, explains impatiently, "Just in case anyone followed us here."  
>Brimet nods, understandingly. She reaches over for her pile of goods and searches through them while Glimmer keeps an eye out for any unwelcome guests.<br>Some ointment. Dried beef. Water flasks. Goggles. Some knives. She picks one up and throws it into the air, watching it stab into the dirt beside her. She's so preoccupied that she doesn't notice that Cato has joined them, and he and Glimmer are talking in low voices. Three others are standing nearby.

Cato calls to Brimet, and she reluctantly pushes herself up from the ground. Marvel and Clove have already walked over, though the good-looking boy from District 12 is standing, rather reluctantly, apart from the group. He keeps looking over his shoulder.  
>"Okay, so far this has been unpredictable," Cato starts in a low voice. He kneels down and starts tracing lines in the dirt, causing all but the District 12 boy to crouch with him. "We've lost one of the District 3 tributes AND one from District 4." He looks up at Brimet, who has blanched. She sits heavily down and mutters, "Dear God."<br>Cato nods, to show his respect regarding her shock, and continues. "Luckily, Lover Boy here -" he gestures to the District 12 boy - "has shown some remarkable fighting skills. He'll be a valuable asset to our team."  
>He stands up and everyone -apart from Brimet, who hasn't taken any of this in - does the same. It's easy to see who the leader is here. "We'll set up camp here, and a couple of us will go hunting tonight. We need to keep our strength up if any of us wants to survive here."<br>He looks around at the group, even to the distant District 12 boy and the stunned District 4 girl, and ends his motivational speech with, "Remember, you are all part of the Careers. We have an advantage. We're strong and we're the favourites to win. If you ever have any doubt, keep that in mind."  
>Cato nods to show he's finished and picks up the tent pack. "Let's go."<p>

Brimet is still there a few minutes later, staring into the dirt. Her partner is dead. Michevious Mr Kitlock had been taken out by God-knows-who, and was probably still in his place of death, lying on his side, staring into the horizon but never seeing.  
>She stays there for a while, then gets her senses together. She takes a hold of the spear and cuts off a length of rope with one of the knives from the Cornucopia. She finally understands how dangerous these Games can be. Back then, it was all on television, something to teach younger children about their potential future and how their lives were going to go down.<p>

But now, she is in genuine danger, and she needs to learn how to cope. Fast.


End file.
